Too much typing on handheld devices such as the BlackBerry could
cause repetitive strain injuries to users' thumbs, according to
reports. The condition, dubbed Blackberry thumb, eases once thumb
typing stops.
Speaking to BBC News, Sean Hughes, professor of orthopaedic
surgery at Imperial College London, explained that the thumb works
differently to fingers.
"The thing is the thumb is designed to flex and rotate in all
directions," he said. "The joint at the bottom of the thumb allows
it to move like this and tapping away could cause it to become
sore."
Users of Blackberry-type devices tend to hold the device in
their fingers and press the tiny keys with their thumbs. This
reverses the normal position, where clumsy thumbs are relegated to
the space bar and let fingers do the typing.
Unlike texting, where only a few words are normally typed at one
time, BlackBerry users may send lengthy e-mails.
Speaking to health information site WebMD, hand surgeon Prosper
Benhaim MD, associate professor of orthopaedic and plastic surgery
at UCLA, agreed that "anything that causes repeat motion can
predispose someone to injuries of various sorts, whether it is
tendinitis or aggravating underlying arthritis."
The recommendation from Dr Benhaim is generally to rest the
thumbs and to use a normal keyboard for typing longer messages.
Neither Professor Hughes nor Dr Benhaim have actually come
across any cases of Blackberry thumb to date.
Employers should be aware of their potential liability for
failing to deal with Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) in the
workplace.
A few years ago, a court ordered Barclays Bank to pay
compensation of £244,000 to a former employee who was forced to
give up work as a result of pain in her right hand. Fiona Conaty
had worked as a bank clerk and argued that a defective work station
caused her to carry out keyboard work with an unsuitable
posture.
Her symptoms developed over two years, after which time Miss
Conaty was unable to tie her shoes or even comb her hair. She was
only 28 years old at the time of the case.
